Is Closure Of Bars The Only Way To Fight Alcoholism In Central Kenya?

Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya Rigathi Gachagua has been camping in Central Kenya in the name of fighting alcoholism. There is no doubt that alcoholism is a rampant thing in Central Kenya and that many men in the region have become “zombies.”

Alcoholism in most parts of Central Kenya such as Murang’a is so a common occurrence that the women in the region have been staging demonstrations calling on the government to help contain the situation and save their men who are drowning in alcohol.

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The campaign to fight alcoholism by the Deputy President, therefore, is justified and should be supported by all the stakeholders. Already some of the men have been contained and taken to rehabilitation centers where they are getting free food and being rehabilitated.

But in the fight against alcoholism, the Deputy President and his brigade seem to have missed a point and in the process are creating more alcoholics, and joblessness, and denying the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) the much-needed revenue given that the country is now broke.

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What the Deputy President and his “alcohol-fighting-fire brigade” have failed to notice is that the majority of alcoholics in Central Kenya do not drink from registered bars or wines and spirits but massively consume that illicit brew in tents, villages, and shanties.

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When I saw Governor Irungu Kangata of Murang’a County celebrating that more than 5,000 bars had been shut down in the fight against alcoholism, I felt pity for him and the Deputy President. As that Preacherman said, “Mnachopigana nacho hamkijui…. Kitawaramba!” And indeed, this one itawaramba.

Shutting down bars simply means shutting down businesses. It means people are losing their source of income and many people are losing jobs, and nothing will stop them from sinking into alcoholism. And the fact that bars being shut down are registered and sell genuine alcoholic drinks, which most of the alcoholics cannot even afford speaks volumes of how the government is shooting blanks.

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The Deputy President and his people need to go back to the drawing board and evaluate their fight against alcoholism. Currently, they are fighting businesses and not the root cause of the problem. Why after shutting down the bars the women are stealing looking for their husbands from drinking dens?